Fletcher (ankle) lands on IL; Ward recalled

Angels second baseman David Fletcher was placed on the 10-day injured list on Thursday with a sprained left ankle he sustained in Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Mariners. Outfielder Taylor Ward was recalled to take his place on the roster.

Fletcher, who has surprisingly been one of the best players in the Majors this season, sustained the injury while trying to beat out a throw to first base. After Fletcher’s right foot hit the first-base bag, he twisted his left ankle as he peeled away to the right, and he left the game with the injury.

The Angels were hopeful Fletcher would be able to return this week, but he will now be eligible to be activated on Sept. 10 against the Rangers. Halos manager Joe Maddon said before Thursday’s game against the Padres that Fletcher’s ankle was still sore.

"Probably a lot of us or most of us have sprained an ankle in the past,” Maddon said. “It's pretty nasty; it burns and just does not want to go away. It prevents you from normal movements even as a human, let alone a second baseman or shortstop. So whatever it takes to get him right, I'm into it. We're all into it.”

Fletcher, 26, is hitting .313/.377/.438 with three homers, nine doubles, 24 runs and 13 RBIs in 35 games this season. He is ranked tied for 13th in the Majors in Wins Above Replacement with 1.5 WAR, according to Fangraphs.com.

Fletcher, who filled in at shortstop earlier this year when Andrelton Simmons was injured, was set to be the everyday second baseman after Tommy La Stella was traded to the A’s for infielder Franklin Barreto on Saturday. But with Fletcher out, Luis Rengifo and Barreto are expected to split time at second base. Ward also gives the Angels more outfield depth after they traded Brian Goodwin to the Reds on Monday.